Not Quite Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by dainedeneith
Summary: Book/Year Two of the Not Quite series, see "Not Quite Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" as well.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters the J. K. Rowling created**.

**Series Summary: What if Harry Potter had made friends with Hermione Granger before making friends with Ron Weasley?**

**Series Note: While I will attempt to follow the books as much as possible, I liked how some of the scenes in the movies flowed and played out. So there will be times when I will follow movie continuity a bit. There will also be times when I ignore both and change, or make up my own, scenes.**

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**Author's Notes**

**I'd like to thank TheMuseReturns for taking over as my beta reader, lord know I suck at grammar.**

**The Disclaimer is here in the first posted chapter. This is where it will be on all my other fics.**

**As with the last story I will try and place any Author's Notes at the end of chapters.**

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CHAPTER ONE

A COMPLICATED BEGINNING TO SUMMER HOLIDAY

Harry Potter sat on a small chair in front of a small desk next to a small bed in a small room. He was looking out the window thinking about his summer so far. It hadn't gone as he'd expected it to. From what his friend Dora's parents had told him he had expected to stay at the Dursley's around two weeks, maybe a little longer. So it was a surprise when on the Wednesday of his second week of being back at his relatives' home he was called downstairs in a surprisingly civil manner by his Uncle Vernon. As he walked down the steps the scene below was a shock.

There were a lot of people in the house. Some of whom he recognized as local law enforcement by the uniforms that they wore. The others who were in the living room were all dressed in suits. He instantly recognized Andi and Ted Tonks, Dora's parents, and had to stop himself from running up to them. There was a short conversation, occasionally interrupted by one of the people milling around the house, which left his Aunt and Uncle looking nervous. Andi had made a trip with one of the officers over to a neighboring street. Shortly after she returned, she and Ted guided Harry into a car and drove to the Tonks' home. During the drive Andi and Ted filled Harry in on the parts of the conversation that he didn't quite understand.

In short, he may have to return to the Dursley's briefly at the beginning of next summer, though it wasn't likely. The others who had been at the Dursley's home were members of the non-magical government, a term that Ted and Andi used and Harry thought sounded nicer that saying muggle, who were aware of the magical world. Some where siblings of muggleborn witches or wizards, others were squibs or people who had come across magic through their work and it was thought easier to have them keep it a secret rather than try and change their memories. He found out that they were members of the local police force and children's services.

Apparently Uncle Vernon had been getting ready to start bellowing when his home was "invaded" as he put it by so many people. A quick silencing charm from Ted, however and that particular problem was taken care of. After the children's services people had taken a look around the house and found some disturbing things, Harry had been called downstairs. When Andi had left with the officer, they went over to Wisteria Walk; apparently Mrs. Figg was a squib and had been keeping an eye on him for Dumbledore. Andi had convinced Mrs. Figg to keep quiet about the plans that they and Harry had made. Harry would have to go with them at some point to a Doctor's office for a medical work up to gauge the extent of any malnutrition or other physical anomalies.

Evidence had been found, both magical and non-magical, that he had occupied the cupboard under the stairs for quite some time while growing up. The extra lock on his bedroom door didn't sit well with any of the visiting parties. Interviews with the neighbors had confirmed that Dudley and other neighborhood children had chased, "That young delinquent nephew of the Dursley's away from other peoples' property," as they put it

It seemed as though the Dursleys would be getting off lightly. They were offered, and had accepted, having the Tonkses file for someone else to take custody of Harry and they would sign the papers with out any argument or condition. In exchange for their cooperation they would receive a slap on the wrist by way of a hefty fine but they would escape doing jail time. This would all take place next summer, though it could have taken place sooner, because all of the available dates were during the school year. It would look suspicious if the Tonkses came to take Harry from the school for a day or weekend.

Harry was surprised that Dumbledore'd had someone watching him and yet he was never removed from the Dursley's custody. Andi told him that while Mrs. Figg had suspected some form of neglect she could not prove it and didn't know how to go about reporting it to the local authorities. She had, however, reported her suspicions to Dumbledore, who had merely thought she was exaggerating, and had said to her, "Arabella, I'm sure you are mistaken, after all they are his family." This statement only lowered Ted and Andi's opinion of the headmaster. Harry still wasn't sure what to think about it all.

* * *

Harry spent most of his days hanging out with Dora, who gave him a little bit of an education on what young people in the wizarding-world did for entertainment outside of Quidditch. This included listening to the Wizarding Wireless and looking through Dora's collection of wizarding-fiction. He found the wireless to be slightly entertaining, though he didn't have a large frame of reference seeing as how the Dursleys had never let him listen to the radio or watch television. The wizarding-fiction really caught most of his attention though. He particularly liked the children's books, especially _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_, his favorite being _The Tale of the Three Brothers_. Dora claimed his reasons for liking it were that he himself owned an invisibility cloak.

Dora was getting ready to apply for auror training. So when she started doing an early morning exercise routine, Harry joined her. They strated out running a mile every morning and had worked their way up to three miles by the end of the first week; and up to five by the end of the second. Harry's Metamorphmagus training continued after lunch. He could now make his hair change color almost as quickly and as often as Dora could. He had also started trying to learn how to change his other characteristics. He could cause his skin tone to change shades slightly, ranging from pasty white to a darker tan color. Dora said that this was particularly handy during the summer since once he was able to change it as quickly as his hair, he would never have to worry with sun screen again. Try as he might though, he could not change his eye color; no amount of concentration would work. Another sticking point was the scar on his forehead, he could cause it to lighten a bit so that it didn't stand out as much, he couldn't make it disappear. Even though Dora believed he may have reached the limit of his abilities, she encouraged him to keep up the exercises she had taught him and keep her informed, as there was the possibility that he could have future breakthroughs.

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On the Friday of his second full week at the Tonkses home, the arrival of a large and fierce looking eagle owl that morning had Ted and Andi calling their law practice and canceling their appointments for the day. The owl brought a large satchel with the Gringott's Bank seal on it. Andi explained to Harry that just before school had let out they had contacted the Potter account manager at the bank to try and arrange a meeting. After reading over several papers they discovered that the account manager had contacted the Potter family solicitor and that both the account manager and solicitor wanted to meet with Harry and the elder Tonkses to discuss business matters. They sent back a letter arranging a meeting for Monday of the following week, giving them time to get Harry some formal business style robes.

And so Monday morning Harry, Ted and Andi made their way to Gringott's to attend the meeting. In the lobby Harry was taking in the sights around him, while the Tonkses looked for an available teller with a short line. He noticed that when one goblin would walk by another, they would both place one hand over their heart and give a slight bow. He also noticed that if one goblin was busy and another was delivering or retrieving something they would place their hand over their heart and give a much deeper formal bow, address the other goblin and wait to be acknowledged. Harry looked at the front desk, and after seeing a face he believed he recognized, started in that direction.

The Tonkses had begun walking over towards a relatively short teller line, when they noticed Harry was not following them. Instead they saw him making his way to the large front desk. As he would pass one of the goblins he started to mimic what he guessed was their greeting. The Tonkses watched many goblins pause and stare at the small human as he walked through the bank. The Tonkses, hoping to prevent Harry from accidentally causing a scene, caught up to him as he reached the front desk.

Harry placed his hand over his heart and bowed deeply saying, "Greetings Teller Griphook, I have an appointment with my family account manager this morning, could you please direct or take me to the correct person or department?"

The goblin behind the desk also stared at the human in front of him. Not only had the child performed a formal goblin greeting, but he also called him by name and used a respectful tone of voice while doing so. Harry was nervous, he had thought he recognized the goblin in front of him, but now was not so sure as he was being stared at by several goblins.

Before the Tonkses could even try to and speak, Griphook stood and returned the bow, "Greetings Mr. Potter, please follow me."

The Tonkses walked on either side of Harry who followed Griphook back down a hallway to a room marked _Guest Conference Room 7_. Inside sat four individuals; two goblins, one very old looking wizard and witch who looked only scant years younger. Griphook approached the goblins and spoke very quickly in Gobbledegook with them, causing the two to look up at Harry briefly before replying to Griphook, who closed the door to the conference room as he left.

One of the goblins rose and addressed everyone, "Thank you all for coming, I am account manager Stonefinder and the goblin next to me is my assistant Metalcutter. There are two matters of business that need to be taken care of and then we can try to answer any questions you may have."

The meeting went very well, the wizard and witch were the Potter family solicitor Barnabas Book and his wife Imelda. Barnabas was looking to retire and the Potter's were his only clients that he could not passed on to other solicitors, since he did not have access to a member of the family to give permission. After questioning Harry and the Tonkses he released the care-taking of the Potter files to the Tonkses. The second piece of business was the fact that Harry should have been brought to the bank upon his eleventh birthday to meet with his family account manager to look over some paper work. When Harry stated that he had been to the bank on his birthday last year, the Potter account manager was quite upset. Harry should have been brought to him so that he could verify his identity and explain to him the process that would be happening over the next few years. As Harry got older he would be taught more about his family assets and given more responsibilities to help oversee his account.

The process for verifying Harry's identity was fairly simple. Harry was given a quill and a piece of parchment and told to write his full name on the parchment. When he asked for ink Stonefinder simply stated that he wouldn't need any. Harry wrote his name down and flinched when he felt a stinging sensation on the back of his hand. He glanced at it and noticed that it looked like someone had scratched his skin with a sharp pin. Stonefinder told him that the quill used the writers own blood as ink. Harry slid the parchment back towards Stonefinder and watched. After a moment the blood letters seemed to come alive and started to snake up the page and spelling out the name of his parents and grandparents. Stonefinder took the parchment, which would be filed with the Potter's bank records.

Another point of interest was that the Potters had filed a new will a few months before they went into hiding. When the Tonkses asked Stonefinder if the will had been executed in part or at all they were informed that Mr. Potter's magical guardian had informed Gringott's that he knew what the details were and would see to it that they were carried out. This concerned the Tonkses as Dumbledore had declared himself as Harry's magical guardian and placed him with the Dursley's. The first order of business was to get a copy of the will read. There was a copy in the Potter's heirloom vault and the request to have it released was filed. It would take a little time to be processed and carried out.

Harry had a question of his own, "Why was everyone staring at me earlier?"

"I assume you are referring to your interactions with Griphook and the others in the lobby," asked Stonefinder, at Harry's nod he continued, "There were two things you did out there earlier Mr. Potter which have not been done by a wizard in Gringott's in a very long time. Well I suppose technically you could say three. First of all, you recognized a goblin and called him by his proper title and name. And secondly, you performed a formal goblin greeting in a very respectful manner."

Harry looked back at Stonefinder, "Okay, I can see how performing one of your own greetings without being told the importance of it is interesting, but how is remembering Griphook's name impressive?"

At this Metalcutter spoke for the first time, "Because Mr. Potter, most wizards these days seem to think that all goblins look alike."

That notion seemed silly to Harry, he couldn't understand how anyone could think that all goblins look alike. Griphook's nose was long and straight while his ears stood out almost completely horizontal from his head, his eyes were an amber color. In contrast Stonefinder's nose was wide and curved down slightly. His ears also had a curvy, downward slope to them; his eyes were a bright yellow like a topaz.

After making arrangements for he Tonkses to acquire all of the files that Barnabas Book had for the Potter's, Harry, Andi, and Ted headed back home.

* * *

Early in the morning on July thirtieth, Harry and the Tonkses got up and drove to the area just outside of Windsor. There they knocked on the door of nice home with a well looked after lawn and garden. The door opened to reveal a young girl about Harry's age whose wild bushy brown hair was barely contained by an alice band.

"Oh Harry! You're finally here," yelled Hermione as she quickly gathered him into a hug.

After a quick tour of the Grangers' home, the group all piled into the Grangers' SUV and headed towards London. Following Andi's instructions, they arrived at the Longbottom Estate a little before lunch time. The Longbottom home sat on a fairly spacious plot of land just outside the Greater London area. The three story stone building sat on a small hill surrounded by a sparse wood with gravel parkways and trails. They were greeted at the door by Neville, who was very excited to see his friends again, and an older witch who Neville introduced as his grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. The two led the others on a short tour of the downstairs of the large home, ending in a large sunroom with an adjoining patio/veranda. There were several large tables, and streamers that changed color were hung around the room. There was also a large banner whose letters were flashing like lights which read "Happy Birthday Neville and Harry!"

Harry stood shocked with his mouth hanging open at the scene before him. He was startled by a loud yell of "Surprise!" coming from the side of the room. He turned and saw his group of friends from school; Fred and George Weasley, along with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinett, Katie Bell, and Oliver Wood. On the other side of Fred and George, was their younger brother Ron and their friend from school Lee Jordan. Standing next to this group were some more of his Gryffindor classmates, like Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. As well as Cedric Digory, a fifth year, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot of Hufflepuff.

"But, why? I mean you all didn't have to go to any trouble," Harry protested, "I mean it's really Neville's birthday."

"This was my idea, mate," stated Neville, "Your birthday is tomorrow, I don't mind to sharing."

Seeing unshed tears in Harry's eyes Hermione went up and hugged him. This calmed Harry and the party soon got into full swing. They played several games, including gobstones and exploding snap. It was a great party and Harry had a fun birthday for the first time in his life. Soon everyone was heading home. Harry met Arthur, the twins' and Ron's father, who invited Harry and the others to come visit for a week at the Weasley's home the Burrow. They all agreed that Arthur would pick Harry and Hermione up from the Granger's home. At the end of the week they would meet up at Diagon Alley to do the children's school shopping and Harry would be taken back home by the Grangers.

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Later that night Harry woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. He laid in the bed and tried to relax so he could go back to sleep but it was no good. Eventually the need to use the loo arose so he got up.

He was walking down the hall of the Longbottom home towards the bathroom when a voice startled him, "Bad dreams, Mr. Potter?"

Harry spun around and came face to face with Neville's gran, Augusta, "No ma'am, just woke up and needed to use the lo- um I mean the water-closet."

She directed him to the end of the hall. After splashing some water on his face, he pushed the heavy, wooden door open and stepped into the hall. Harry was a bit surprised when he exited and she was waiting on him.

"Please come with me Mr. Potter," Augusta said leading him further down the hall to a small but well stocked library.

Harry sat down in a comfortable arm chair. Across from Neville's gran. She had a look about her that spoke of a powerful woman who was not to be trifled with and did not suffer fools easily.

"I would like to thank you Mr. Potter, for befriending my Grandson," stated Augusta.

"Oh, well, that's not a problem ma'am, Neville's a great friend as well," Harry replied, then smirked, "Come to think of it I probably wouldn't have passed Herbology without his help this past year."

"Indeed," said Augusta, "Your fathers played Quidditch together. I believe your father James was a chaser and Neville's father Frank was a beater."

"That's interesting," said Harry, "Neville's been working with the Weasley twins this past year as a reserve beater."

Seeing the shocked look on Augusta's face, Harry continued, grimacing as he spoke, "I'm guessing from your expression that you didn't know. I'm sorry to have broken your grandson's confidence, he should be the one to tell you that news. Please don't tell him that I let it slip."

At his statement Augusta just nodded again, "Very well Mr. Potter. I just wanted to let you know that I will do whatever I can to help get you away from your relatives and into better living conditions."

She explained to Harry how she had cowed Dumbledore into letting him attend Neville's party. And how, as regent of House Longbottom until Neville came of age, she would help with things once the Muggle government had finished investigating things.

* * *

_Yes_, Harry thought as he looked out the window of the Grangers guest bedroom, _this summer has definitely been a lot different than any other I've ever had_.

He looked down at the quill and parchment in front of him and finished the essay for Transfiguration that McGonagall had assigned as summer homework. He had just finished packing up his things and was about to wander downstairs to find Hermione when he heard a blood curdling scream. _That sounded like Hermione!_, Harry thought as he bolted from the room and down the steps following the sound of his best friends scream


End file.
